Importance of wood anatomy for pine wood biochar properties: Insights from multiscale characterisation with synchrotron X-ray microtomography and N2/CO2 gas sorption analyses

Summary

No reviewed summary yet. Read the abstract below or open the original publication.

Abstract

Biochar performance in applications like soil amendment depends on properties including porosity, surface area, and pore structure, which are influenced by both process conditions and feedstock characteristics such as wood anatomy. However, their effects across micro- and nanometre length scales remain poorly understood. This study therefore investigates how feedstock and process conditions affect properties of pine wood biochar produced in industrially relevant pilot-scale continuous reactor for torrefaction (291–315°C, 6–12 min) and pyrolysis (350–400°C, 25 min). High-resolution X-ray microtomography combined with AI-assisted image analysis was used to quantify earlywood–latewood distribution, porosity, pore size, cell wall thickness, and micrometre-scale surface area, while N 2 and CO 2 sorption probed nanometre-scale structure. The wood microstructure was largely preserved across treatments, resulting in highly anisotropic pore networks. Porosity remained high (33–77%), primarily influenced by earlywood–latewood variability rather than temperature. From torrefaction to pyrolysis, cell wall thickness and pore diameter decreased, while microporosity (

Abstract as supplied by the source. Full text may be restricted by the publisher.